Roast chicken instead of turkey?

[Shgytfgtf111]

Forgive me people for sounding like a complete moron but please bear with me as I don't eat meat so don't know the answer! I am cooking Christmas dinner for three adults (so not me) and was wondering if I got a chicken (or a couple of chickens) rather than a turkey would people be disappointed with chicken? Does it taste much less Christmassy than turkey?

My family likes to eat leftovers for a few days after Christmas, would there be leftover meat from chicken?

Chickens are so much cheaper than turkey but I dont want people to feel short changed.

Thanks all!

*sorry, six to seven adult meals.

I’d prefer chicken, not so keen on turkey and the rest of my family feel the same.

Really easily if you are serving other things along with it. We are four (with teen DC) and can easily get a roast plus at least one other meal plus stock etc. Am not being all MN mystic chicken- it's genuinely very doable.

I always cook chicken rather than turkey but there are only two of us and we prefer chicken. I cook a piece of ham as well to ensure there is cold meat for boxing day and for sandwiches.

One medium chicken given roast dinner for two, and then chicken risotto for two as well. Then I use the carcass to make chicken & veg soup.

Two chickens are less expensive than one turkey, and you'd have plenty of left overs. They fit in the same oven too.

We usually have a Turkey crown but this year having lamb for a change. Not sure I'd want chicken for a Christmas meal though as I have that often through the year

We are doing a chicken and a ham, I don’t like turkey and the money we will save on buying a huge turkey that we don’t even like, and then throwing some of it away as sick of turkeu samdwiches Can be used on treats, alcohol, extra yummy sides…

I don't think there's a consensus. Some people are rigid traditionalists who can't imagine Christmas without turkey even if they actually prefer chicken. I'd just ask, if I'm being hosted by a vegetarian for a traditionally meat based meal I assume nothing and expect to have a conversation in any case.

Get chicken it tastes much better. Turkey is dry.

Turkey is lovely and moist if it’s cooked properly!

I’m hungry now...could happily eat each of the options mentioned on this thread! 😋😋

I left out my most favourite - a really good quality pork joint done the Danish way with perfect crackling, just like we had every year with my grandparents. ❤️🎄

We are having chicken. A fancy one that tastes nicer than turkey.

My kitchen, my money, my choice.

Thanks all!

I have seen recipes for turkey and chicken that has bacon criss crossed over the breast, does that make it taste bacon-y?

I am looking for ways to keep it moist as I wont be able to put my hand under the skin, thats a step too far for me unfortunately!

@Shgytfgtf111 is there any meat that you're ok with handling? I hate touching it too, hardly ever eat it
If not, then one of your guests should have the task of cooking the meat (especially as it's for their benefit, not yours)...you can do all of the rest - veggies, pud etc.
Not sure what we'll do this year - only me n DH - maybe a chicken, but he'll have to faff about with it. I won't.

If your not used to cooking and handling meat can someone else not take the responsibility of that? You do risk ruining it if your not careful.

She needs a Mumsnet chicken, not an ordinary one.

You usually just do the bacon for the last 15 mins or so, to crisp it – so it won’t make it taste bacony but it’s not a moist-maker either.

Try roasting breast-side down for the first 20 mins, then make sure you baste regularly and frequently, and cover with foil for the last part so it doesn’t dry out. A lemon up the bum also helps. (The chicken’s bum, not yours.)

I eat both turkey and chicken but I really prefer chicken. For me it has more flavour and is more tender and juicy. There is no way I would have a crown, as I prefer the darker meat as it has more flavour. I'm doing beef, chicken and salmon for Christmas. The important food for my family is the Yorkshire puds, roast potatoes, pigs in blankets and stuffing. No one cares whether there is turkey or not.

It’s personal preference. We prefer chicken so that’s what we do for Christmas. Kids prefer it.

You’ll be fine @Shgytfgtf111! Start a thread on Christmas Eve (or revive this one) and people will talk you through everything you need to do to cook the turkey well.

A turkey crown will be much easier from that perspective, as you won’t have to worry about legs and getting everything cooked well without drying out.

You can add bacon but you don’t have to. You can slather it in butter or oil or a mix of both. You really do not need to put anything under the skin. Get yourself some turkey foil!

And there’s no one way to do it right - for example I do mine the opposite way to @stuntbubbles - I cover in foil for the first part of cooking and then remove it for the latter part. The end result is the same.

frankly? If i didn't usually eat meat and was going to host for some reason, I'd have warned everyone that dinner wouldn't be featuring meat unless they bring it.

Aside of that, what the others said.

Imagine the Christmas Day fights we could have! Central heating too high, oven blasting, half-cut on gin and wrestling over the tin foil. I’ve got fond memories of an absolute scene my grandmother and great-aunt once made over how to boil a ham, they were on non-speakers for most of the afternoon.

I always have chicken at Christmas. DP and I like it much more and it's better cold than turkey, IMO. We always purposely cook too much so there's leftovers.
And frankly, if you're cooking for and hosting people and they're 'disappointed' and feel 'short-changed', they're ungrateful fuckers. Especially seeing as you don't eat meat yourself! If I had Christmas at a non-meat-eating household I'd fully expect the food to be veggie.

We've always done chicken as it's born cheaper and nicer. I would much rather spend the extra money on something else nice rather than something that's much more expensive but slightly less good.

It might not produce that much by the way of leftovers though.

*both, not born

Ahahaha @stuntbubbles I couldn’t cope with that. It’s the day of peace and goodwill! 🥂

There’s never any rancour on Christmas Day at ours - mostly because I’m always in charge!

(Not true. DH and I are pretty good at collaboration whilst cooking.)

But seriously @Shgytfgtf111 it’s a doddle. I know it’ll be a little more difficult for you since you don’t eat meat and don’t sound as if you cook with it much if at all. But it’s really very straightforward.

If you want to save yourself a lot of stress/anxiety on the day, and also reliably avoid a dried out bird, get yourself a meat thermometer. Really useful to have for other things such as baking so it’ll come in handy anyway, and takes all the guesswork out of cooking a roast. We have a digital one.

🎄🎄🎄